If you read this blog I don't need to tell you that I love storing my apples for as long as possible. As I mentioned in my last post, it saves us so much money and I hate seeing food waste anyway.
But last year (and the year before) we had a bit of an issue with the apples stored in the shed. The mice got into them!
It's so disheartening to see your beautiful apples, you've lovingly grown, picked and stored, be eaten by something small and furry. And add to that the fact you know it peed on another one while it was eating it.
Something had to be done.
I decided it best to pull out the whole unit and use 6mm galvanised mesh (1/4" hardware cloth if you're in the states) to cover the whole thing. It was a fairly involved job (one reason I've been putting it off.
Once covered I had to make a door for the unit and a catch to keep it tightly closed.
I filmed the whole process (something I'm getting better at) and the results are in the link below.
It's one of those jobs where I feel instantly better for having it done. It's a good feeling knowing our food will be safely stored until we want it, rather than having to fight other creatures for it. It's also great knowing that I can use it for other food items throughout the year. I have a couple of trays left where I might store the yacon until I'm ready to use it as well.
How do you store your apples? Do you manage to keep the rodents away from them?
Love the build, Kev! There are so many uses for hardware cloth. Blessings...
ReplyDeleteThank! Yes I agree, it's a great material, just sometimes tricky to work when it wants to roll up all the time!
DeleteWe don't store a lot of food in unpreserved forms, the sole exceptions being potatoes, onions and garlic. For apples, we only keep what we can reasonably eat before they go bad and either can, dehydrate or give away the rest. If I lived in a more reasonable climate so I could store them in a building outside of my home, I might give it a try.
ReplyDeleteOur climate is perfect for storing apples through the winter, with the right building. I think saving the apples like this and using them steadily, probably provides one of our biggest savings when it comes to food. The kids get through so many apples each day, espeically the eldest who uses it as Hypo treatment for her diabetes.
DeleteI need to get better at storing potatoes and onions, this year we have very few put by. I'd like to turn over a strip in the one field and plant a longer row of potatoes. Maybe squash as well.
I just got done using hardware cloth for my cabin kitchen cabinet project and my forearms look like I was mauled by a bobcat. I expect you got some scratches on your arms and face from when the board fell off and the cloth rolled up.
ReplyDeleteHaven't tried them but those old fashioned mushroom shaped foundation stones would be my starting point I reckon, shed, with a short version of the extending attic ladder, on top.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have a proper granary like that! I see them at the old farms that are open to the public. Dad and I were talking about it the other night, he can still remember feeding the straw through the thresher and rats going everywhere. Guys would tie the bottom of their trousers up to save them running up their legs!
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